"Alright!" Lu Dapao grinned and laughed, "Heh heh, by then, we will at least be somebody important."

Everyone couldn't help but feel excited.

At this moment, Lin Chuan walked in from outside. Zhou Kai sprang up, excitedly went to greet him, and asked, "Bro Chuan, how did it go?"

"Hmm." Lin Chuan nodded, "I've spoken to Li Jiangping."

"Did he agree?" Zhou Kai was overjoyed.

"No." Lin Chuan shook his head.

A wave of disappointment immediately swept through the crowd, with their deep, undeniable disappointment written all over their faces. At that moment, Lin Chuan smiled and said, "But he didn't refuse either. He said he'll give me an answer tomorrow."

"Heh heh, that means there's still hope." Zhou Kai heard this and was ecstatic, saying, "I don't believe he could refuse the money served on a silver platter?"

"Exactly." Lu Dapao nodded, "Li Jiangping will definitely agree with us."

Everyone was still longing for the bright side, everyone hoped to strike it rich. Only if Li Jiangping agreed to cooperate, then the bathhouse could be opened. Once the bathhouse was up and running, business would surely flourish, and making a fortune daily wouldn't be a dream anymore.

In fact, Zhou Kai and the others were still a bit worried. If Li Jiangping didn't agree, what would they do? Tang Yumeng was too righteous, stubborn, and she was unwilling to help. If Li Jiangping also refused, then probably this venture would be aborted.

After everyone dispersed, Zhou Kai cautiously asked, "Bro Chuan, do you think... Li Jiangping will agree?"

"He will." Lin Chuan nodded.

"Then why does he want to reply tomorrow?" Zhou Kai muttered, "If he was really willing to cooperate, he should've agreed on the spot."

"Wouldn't that make him look too desperate?" Lin Chuan laughed, "At least give the man some time to think. Even if you give him money, wouldn't he also have to refuse it at first?"

"So that's how it is." Zhou Kai smiled.

With an anxious heart. Finally, the next day at ten past ten in the morning, Lin Chuan received a phone call from Li Jiangping in the break room.

"Lin Chuan, I've thought it over and decided to go ahead with the cooperation," Li Jiangping said in a relaxed tone, and even joked, "Just like you said, I will hold twenty percent of the shares. However, we won't sign a written contract, just a verbal agreement. Also, I won't personally handle matters for you, but you don't have to worry about any problems."

"Alright, what you say goes." Lin Chuan nodded, knowing what Li Jiangping was worried about. It was naturally the fear that black and white evidence might leave a trace, and once that happened, it could become a bargaining chip in Lin Chuan's hands. Therefore, Li Jiangping didn't want to leave any leverage in the hands of Lin Chuan.

The two chatted for a while and then they started to call each other brothers as if bonded by mutual financial interests. After hanging up the phone, Lin Chuan called Zhou Kai and the others. Zhou Kai and the group, who had been anxious, boiled over with excitement when they heard the good news. After waiting an entire night, finally, they had received good news.

"Zhou Kai, go find a construction team and start work immediately," Lin Chuan instructed, "Also, for the decorations, try to keep the prices as low as possible."

"Yes!" Zhou Kai nodded.

"Additionally, have the management office call a meeting with the property owners to try to collect the first quarter's management fees," Lin Chuan continued, "First go by last year's amount, and then adjust after the first quarter's sales figures come out. Also, clear up accounts with the big bosses about the construction waste. If it's possible to collect money ahead of schedule, settle those accounts too. We're short on cash right now."

"Bro Chuan, don't worry," Zhou Kai nodded and said, "I'm heading to the transportation market to deal with the owners."

But collecting money was not easy. Each owner had battled tough characters like Long Wu in the past. Now dealing with kids who are wet behind the ears like Lin Chuan's group, they naturally were unwilling to fork out the cash. Crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide had become their special skills. When the management office came to collect money, they kept their doors shut and claimed to have no money.

However, this did not deter Zhou Kai and the others from their confidence in collecting the money.

......

After hanging up the call, Luo Guoqing, who was beside Lin Chuan, curiously leaned in.

"You seem busy," Luo Guoqing smiled and handed Lin Chuan a cigarette, "A twenty-minute phone call, if it's not flirting, then it must be some big business."

"What do you think?" Lin Chuan smiled as he took the cigarette.

"Heh heh, nine out of ten it's flirting," Luo Guoqing said with a sly smile.

"Then you're really wrong," Lin Chuan laughed heartily, "I am about to do something big."

"What big thing can you possibly do?" Luo Guoqing was obviously skeptical.

......

The tenth day of the Lunar New Year, 5:30 PM, at the entrance of the City Committee.

A white Mercedes convertible sports car. The four-seater Mercedes coupe sport, at the back seat position, unexpectedly held a bunch of enormous blue roses, the finest of roses, known as Blue Enchantress. These flowers are very expensive, transported by air from Yunnan, consuming both time and effort. Because of their high price, very few flower shops in Jiangbei City sell them. Even if they do, they only sell very small bunches. To have as many as seen on this Mercedes convertible surely required an advance order and transportation all at once from Yunnan.

In this cold season, the price of a single flower was very expensive, costing ninety-nine yuan each. And here, there were nine hundred and ninety-nine of them, clustered together, looking extremely luxurious. Not just on the back seat of the Mercedes, even the car's hood was decorated with abundant blue roses, encircled by more blue roses around the periphery of the car. It was very eye-catching.

"The wealthy really are different," a security guard at the entrance muttered, cigarette in mouth, sitting in the guardhouse.

"Yeah!" Another security guard joined in, "Damn it, we work all year just to make tens of thousands, and there they go, spending a hundred thousand on flowers alone. Ah, really, it's painfully ridiculous how much money they have to burn."

"Haha..." Several security guards burst into laughter.

At this moment, it was the end of the workday for the City Committee, and numerous girls were coming out when they witnessed this scene and were stunned.

"Wow, so beautiful, all Blue Enchantresses."

"These flowers are so expensive."

A crowd couldn't help but exclaim.

"Isn't that Secretary Tang's boyfriend Bai Yifan?" someone immediately recognized Bai Yifan.

"Wow, so handsome", a girl screamed: "So handsome and so rich, oh my god, if only I could meet a man like that."

"Cut it out, you?" someone couldn't resist teasing: "Think about the gap between you and Secretary Tang."

The girl immediately silenced, unable to utter a word. Secretary Tang was known throughout Jiangbei City as a great beauty and a prominent figure. Not even mentioning wealth, her appearance and figure alone were enough to daze men senseless.

"Sigh, comparing oneself to others can be lethal, comparing goods makes one feel like throwing them away," the girl sighed helplessly.

At this time, Tang Yumeng, with her bag slung over her shoulder, was coming out of the City Committee building with Xiao Xue.

Suddenly, they saw a crowd gathered at the gate. Xiao Xue, curious, said, "Strange, why are there so many people? Has something happened? I'll go have a look!"

With that, Xiao Xue curiously ran over.

However, it wasn't long before Xiao Xue cried out in surprise: "Secretary Tang, come quickly. Hurry over."

Tang Yumeng was stunned, a sense of foreboding washing over her.

She took her time walking over, and at that moment, the onlookers parted to create a path. Looking ahead, she saw Bai Yifan standing at the front of the car, holding a bunch of Blue Enchantresses, with a large number of blue roses in the Mercedes convertible behind him. The scene was incredibly shocking and also very romantic. However, this romance wasn't from Lin Chuan to her, but from Bai Yifan, which made Tang Yumeng feel conflicted.

With so many onlookers, Tang Yumeng had no grounds to reject him, after all, Bai Yifan was openly acknowledged as her boyfriend. If she were to suddenly reject Bai Yifan now, wouldn't it be like lying in front of everyone?

Just as Tang Yumeng was indecisive, Bai Yifan, holding the roses, slowly walked towards her.

"Xiao Yu," Bai Yifan took slow steps forward, then said, "Today marks the one-year anniversary of our acquaintance. Do you remember?"

"Yifan!" Tang Yumeng was taken aback.

"Don't say anything," Bai Yifan suddenly interrupted Tang Yumeng, "Let me speak. During the year we've known each other, I remember every one of your movements, every frown and smile, I remember you like to drink Blue Mountain coffee without sugar; I remember you often have stomach aches, so I would frequently remind you to drink more hot water, to avoid cold and raw foods. May 21st last year, was the first time I confessed to you, and you rejected me; but I haven't given up, nor will I. In life, there is nothing that cannot be let go of. But in my life, you are the only thing I can't let go of. Xiao Yu, you are my angel, I am willing to care for you, to guard you for a lifetime. Maybe, you are my Jesus, and perhaps one day in a moment of crisis, I might leave you like Peter did, denying you three times. However, after you've been crucified, I would still choose to turn back and be your apostle. Xiao Yu, marry me."

Applause erupted...

The scene was filled with fervent applause, many girls were moved to tears. Completely overwhelmed with emotion.

More people cheered, some even shouted: "Marry him, marry him, marry him!"

Tang Yumeng was dumbfounded. Perhaps, if Lin Chuan hadn't suddenly entered her life, Tang Yumeng might really have agreed to him. Even if it wasn't agreeing to marry him, she would have at least agreed to be his girlfriend. But now that she had Lin Chuan, she couldn't agree to Bai Yifan.

The atmosphere at the scene became livelier, and Tang Yumeng, looking helpless, walked slowly forward and said: "Yifan, I'm sorry, I can't accept."

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